Editing Hokah, Minnesota

{{Short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Hokah
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = File:Hokah, Minnesota.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Hokah, Minnesota <br> Looking South West
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = Houston_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Hokah_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Hokah, Minnesota
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Minnesota]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Minnesota|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Houston County, Minnesota|Houston]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Lee Tippery<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityofhokah-mn.gov/city-government/|title = City Government|date = 15 March 2021}}</ref>
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = 1851

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_27.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 1.86
|area_land_km2            = 1.81
|area_water_km2           = 0.04
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.72
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.70
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.02

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 553
|population_density_km2   = 305.36
|population_density_sq_mi = 791.13

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 643
|coordinates              = {{coord|43|45|36|N|91|21|00|W|region:US-MN|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 55941
|area_code                = [[Area code 507|507]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-29510<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2394395<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2394395}}</ref>
|website                  = [http://www.cityofhokah-mn.gov/ www.cityofhokah-mn.gov]
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
}}

'''Hokah''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|oʊ|k|ə}} {{respell|HOH-kə}})<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ap.org/minnesota/prono.html |title=Minnesota Pronunciation Guide |website=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722194213/http://www.ap.org/minnesota/prono.html |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }}</ref> is a city in [[Houston County, Minnesota|Houston County]], [[Minnesota]], United States. The population was 580 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="2010 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table |work=American FactFinder |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=27 April 2011 }} {{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>  Hokah is located near the confluence of the [[Root River (Minnesota)|Root]] and [[Mississippi River|Mississippi rivers]], opposite [[La Crosse, Wisconsin]].

==History==
[[File:Hokah MN welcome sign - Apr 2015.png|thumb|left|Welcome sign along state highway 16]]
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now the city of Hokah was a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] settlement of the [[Dakota people]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofhokah-mn.gov | title=Homepage | publisher=City of Hokah, MN | access-date=30 April 2015}}</ref>  The city's name, which is said to be a Native American word meaning [[gar|gar fish]]<ref name="cityofhokah-mn.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cityofhokah-mn.gov/documents/History-of-Hokah.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-04-15 |archive-date=2015-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206094443/http://cityofhokah-mn.gov/documents/History-of-Hokah.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> or the Dakota name for the nearby [[Root River (Minnesota)|Root River]],<ref name="Upham2001">{{cite book|author=Warren Upham|title=Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ho23eS5qjNgC&pg=PA244|year=2001|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press|isbn=978-0-87351-396-8|pages=244–}}</ref> derives from the chief of the settlement, Chief Wecheschatope Hokah.<ref name="cityofhokah-mn.gov"/>  There were, at one time, more than thirty [[Indian mound]]s throughout the area including several effigy mounds, though most have been lost.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dgarvey/Mounds/Hokah_Effigy_Mounds.html|title=Hokah, Minnesota Effigy Mounds}}</ref>

The first recorded European settler in Hokah was Edward Thompson, who arrived in 1851 with his wife and family and constructed a flour mill and dam on Thompson Creek, a tributary of the [[Root River (Minnesota)|Root River]] that runs through the city and now bears his name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://genealogytrails.com/minn/houston/twphistory_hokah.htm|title=Houston County Minnesota Genealogy and History|website=genealogytrails.com}}</ref>  The first town meeting was held in 1858, and the town was officially incorporated into a village by the state of Minnesota on March 2, 1871.<ref name="Upham2001"/>

By 1875, Hokah had several major industries including four flour mills, [[cooper (profession)|cooper shops]] and a railroad depot, driven by the city's location on the navigable Root River near where it empties into the Mississippi River as well as the Root River Valley Railroad which ran through the north end of the village from nearby [[La Crescent, Minnesota|La Crescent]] to [[Rochester, Minnesota]].<ref name="lacrosse-buildings.com">{{cite web |url=http://lacrosse-buildings.com/hokah/ |title=Historic Buildings of la Crosse » Hokah |access-date=2015-04-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418202305/http://lacrosse-buildings.com/hokah/ |archive-date=2015-04-18 }}</ref>  The railroad depot was equipped for all types of railroad work, including the construction of railroad locomotives and coaches. The depot employed as many as 500 workers and constructed as many as 300 coaches in one year.<ref name="lacrossetribune.com">{{cite web| url = http://lacrossetribune.com/houstonconews/news/local/hokah-railroad-shops-had-huge-impact-on-area/article_d6037d5f-2f05-55f8-8626-53f0e3619d4f.html| title = Hokah railroad shops had huge impact on area {{!}} Houston County News {{!}} lacrossetribune.com}}</ref>  As of 1880, Hokah also had a plow factory, a furniture factory, three blacksmith shops, a shoe shop, two drug stores, and six general stores.<ref name="lacrossetribune.com"/>

In 1876, a railroad bridge was constructed across the Mississippi River from La Crosse, connecting the Root River Valley Railroad to the railroads across the river in La Crosse.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footstepsoflacrosse.org/lax_hist.asp |title=Footsteps of la Crosse |access-date=2015-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225172958/http://www.footstepsoflacrosse.org/lax_hist.asp |archive-date=2015-02-25 }}</ref>  In 1880, the Root River Valley Railroad was purchased by the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] and the railroad depot in Hokah was razed in favor of other facilities elsewhere, leaving several hundred workers without employment and causing many people to leave the area.  Hokah's other industries suffered from this loss of population and many of the other local businesses eventually closed.<ref name="cityofhokah-mn.gov"/>

[[File:CityHallHokahMN.jpg|thumb|left|Former Hokah city hall, built in 1938<br>Now the Library]]
[[File:Hokah Administrative Center and police department.jpg|thumb|left|Hokah Administrative Center and police department]]
On April 23, 1923, the village was reincorporated as a city.<ref name="Upham2001"/>  Hokah City Hall, built by the [[Works Progress Administration]] in 1938, is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://lacrossetribune.com/houstonconews/news/local/a-different-kind-of-registration-for-historic-hokah-city-hall/article_acacb6b8-9910-547c-9e90-93c5a4cfb0cf.html| title = A different kind of registration for historic Hokah City Hall {{!}} Houston County News {{!}} lacrossetribune.com}}</ref>

On August 19, 2007, 15.10 inches of rain fell in Hokah over a 24-hour period, breaking the previous 24-hour rainfall record for the state of Minnesota of 10.84 inches set on July 22, 1972 in [[Fort Ripley, Minnesota]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/journal/24hour_rain_record.html|title=24-hour Minnesota Rainfall Record Broken &#124; August 19, 2007 &#124; Minnesota DNR|website=www.dnr.state.mn.us}}</ref>  This rainfall was part of the weather system that caused the [[2007 Midwest flooding]] and caused widespread damage throughout Hokah and surrounding communities including landslides, damaged and destroyed homes, and washed-out roads.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.daycreek.com/dc/html/flood_hokah.html | title=Southeast Minnesota 2007 Flood | publisher=daycreek.com | access-date=30 April 2015 | archive-date=February 5, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205141753/http://www.daycreek.com/dc/html/flood_hokah.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>  Hokah also holds the record for the most rainfall in any month for the state of Minnesota at 23.86 inches, also set in August, 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/monthly_rain_record.htm |title=Monthly Minnesota Rainfall Record Broken |access-date=2007-10-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514085958/http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/monthly_rain_record.htm |archive-date=2008-05-14 }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|0.75|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|0.73|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.02|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2012-11-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=2012-01-25 }}</ref>

Hokah's location in the [[Driftless Area]] of southeastern Minnesota gives it a hilly landscape dominated by high bluffs and low river valleys known as [[coulee]]s.  The city's downtown is set on a small bluff between the Root River valley and the Thompson Creek valley.  At the east end of downtown is Thompson Bluff, also known as Mt. Tom, a bluff that rises more than 400 feet above downtown.  Like Thompson Creek, Thompson Bluff is named for Edward Thompson.

===Como Falls===
[[File:Hokah MN - Como Falls.jpg|thumb|Modern-day Como Falls]]
[[File:Lake Como in Hokah MN from 1909 postcard.jpg|thumb|right|Postcard depicting Lake Como circa 1909]]
[[File:Como Falls in Hokah, Minnesota.webm|thumb|Como Falls in Hokah, Minnesota]]
Hokah was home to Como Falls, a waterfall on Thompson Creek.  From 1858 until the 1930s Hokah was also home to Lake Como, a 90-acre, 20-foot deep man-made lake created by building a dam on Thompson Creek at Como Falls.<ref name="Trimble 125">{{cite book|last=Trimble|first=Stanley W.|title=Historical Agriculture and Soil Erosion in the Upper Mississippi Valley Hill Country|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3lWBHWz1xfoC&pg=PA125|date=21 November 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4665-5574-7|page=125}}</ref>  Lake Como was a popular vacation spot in its heyday, drawing visitors from La Crosse and the surrounding area with lakeside cabins and boat rentals.<ref name="lacrosse-buildings.com"/>  The dam that created Lake Como failed during a flood in 1909 and allowed the lake to drain but was rebuilt in 1922. By the late 1930s, soil erosion from nearby farms prior to the widespread local use of [[contour plowing]] caused the lake bed to fill in, bringing about the end of Lake Como.  Until August 2018, the site of Lake Como was used as a community park, pool, and baseball field.  A severe storm in late August 2018 dumped almost eight inches of rain in the area in less than 24 hours, causing massive damage to the park and rerouting the path of water around the rock formation that made up Como Falls, basically destroying the falls.<ref name="Trimble 125"/> In the following months, local and state parties' funding was allocated to rebuilding the route for water that creates Como Falls.
{|style="margin: 0 auto; float:center;"
|[[File:Como Falls in Hokah, Minnesota 02.jpg|thumb|Como Falls in Hokah, Minnesota]]
|[[File:Como Falls in Hokah, Minnesota 03.jpg|thumb|Como Falls]]
|}

==Transportation==
[[File:Hokah Open Street Maps.webp|thumb|Hokah streets map]]
Hokah is located approximately six miles west-southwest of downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin, or about nine miles by automobile via the [[Mississippi River Bridge (La Crosse, Wisconsin)|Mississippi River Bridge]] in La Crescent.

[[Minnesota State Highway 44]] passes directly through downtown Hokah and has its northern terminus at an intersection with [[Minnesota State Highway 16]] northeast of downtown.  Minnesota State Highway 16  passes just north of downtown.  [[Minnesota State Highway 26]], which follows the Mississippi River and serves as part of the [[Great River Road]], passes just to the east of Hokah.

Two nearby motor vehicle bridges span the Mississippi River and connect the southeastern corner of Minnesota to the La Crosse area in Wisconsin: six miles north of Hokah, the [[Mississippi River Bridge (La Crosse, Wisconsin)|Mississippi River Bridge]] carries [[U.S. Route 14 in Minnesota|U.S. routes 14]] and [[U.S. Route 61 in Minnesota|61]] and connects downtown La Crescent, Minnesota to downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin, and eight miles north of Hokah, the [[I-90 Mississippi River Bridge]]  in [[Dresbach, Minnesota|Dresbach]] carries [[Interstate 90 in Minnesota|Interstate 90]] across the Mississippi River to northern La Crosse and [[Onalaska, Wisconsin]].  South of Hokah, the nearest place for vehicles to cross the Mississippi River is at the [[Black Hawk Bridge]], thirty miles away in [[Lansing, Iowa]].

The nearby [[La Crosse (Amtrak station)|La Crosse Amtrak station]] provides daily service for the [[Empire Builder]] Amtrak route, and the [[La Crosse Regional Airport]] provides daily service to [[Chicago]] and [[Minneapolis]] via [[American Airlines]] and [[Delta Air Lines]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 309
|1870= 525
|1880= 961
|1890= 582
|1900= 536
|1910= 400
|1920= 407
|1930= 452
|1940= 546
|1950= 643
|1960= 685
|1970= 697
|1980= 686
|1990= 687
|2000= 614
|2010= 580
|2020= 553
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=July 5, 2016}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-13}}</ref> of 2010, there were 580 people, 275 households, and 152 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|794.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 287 housing units at an average density of {{convert|393.2|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.3% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 275 households, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.7% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.76.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 31.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 614 people, 271 households, and 159 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|860.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 278 housing units at an average density of {{convert|389.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.14% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.16% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.33% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.81% of the population.

There were 271 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,838, and the median income for a family was $36,000. Males had a median income of $32,212 versus $21,016 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $15,630.  About 16.5% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
*[[Herbert John Burgman]], Nazi propagandist during [[World War II]]
*[[William H. Harries]], U.S representative for Minnesota
*[[Clark W. Thompson (Minnesota politician)|Clark W. Thompson]], Minnesota state senator

[[File:Former Hokah city hall now the library 02.jpg|thumb|right|Former Hokah city hall <br> Now the library]]

==Education==

Hokah, the nearby community of La Crescent, and the surrounding area are served by the [[La Crescent, Minnesota#Education|La Crescent-Hokah Public School District]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.isd300.k12.mn.us/|title=La Crescent-Hokah Public Schools|website=www.isd300.k12.mn.us}}</ref>  St. Peter's School, a Catholic school serving pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, is also located in Hokah.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.greatschools.org/minnesota/hokah/2526-St-Peter-Elementary-School/|title = Explore St Peter Elementary School in Hokah, MN}}</ref>  Several universities, including the [[University of Wisconsin–La Crosse]], [[Viterbo University]], [[St. Mary's University of Minnesota]], and [[Winona State University]], are nearby.

The city's public library is the Hokah Public Library.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cityofhokah-mn.gov/library.html|title=Hokah Public Library|date=15 March 2021}}</ref>  The library is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO), one of Minnesota's twelve regional public library systems, which serves the southeastern portion of the state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.selco.info/|title=SELCO – Southeastern Libraries Cooperating}}</ref>
{{wide image|La Crescent High School.jpg|700px|[[La Crescent, Minnesota#Education|La Crescent-Hokah High School]]|alt=La Crescent High School}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.cityofhokah-mn.gov The City of Hokah, Minnesota government website]
*[http://www.hokah.info Hokah, Minnesota]

{{Houston County, Minnesota}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|43|45|34|N|91|20|47|W|type:city_region:US-MN|display=title}}

[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Houston County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Dakota toponyms]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in Minnesota Territory]]